The present invention relate to an improved and versatile garden tool which is capable of both accurately laying out a garden, and then digging planting hole for the garden.
A manual gardening tool having an elongated handle attached to a fixed pair of blades for cultivating is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,3960 to Robichaux. The blades are formed from a U-shaped strip with a hole for connection to a handle.
A cooking grate cleaner having several aligned, adjustably spaced teeth mounted on a horizontal plate is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,071 to Hall.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,740,286 to Dabrowski teaches a collapsible rake having a plurality of triangular fingers extending downwardly from the rake head. U.S. Pat. No. 1,906,906 to Grieder discloses a utility tool having a blade connection which limits the motion of the blade once it is fixed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,437,805 to Chilcote discloses a garden cultivator having a pair of spaced blades connected to a horizontal support having an elongate handle. The lower ends of the blades are flat, triangular pieces. A rake having pivotal tines shaped as angled blades is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,113 to Novoselsky. A garden rake and cultivating tool is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,879 to Lomberk et al.
The following patents disclose other types of cultivators and plows, some having fixed triangular blades:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) ______________________________________ 91,586 Alexander 113,306 Kennedy 130,916 Harris 347,725 Mason 501,773 Duggan 778,294 Willcox 1,468,160 Horn 1,601,975 Mauch, et al 1,706,658 Davis 2,028,483 Van Yahres 4,011,612 Atkinson 4,915,179 Hawk 5,188,340 Green 5,207,466 Ohlson 5,209,469 Laskowitz, et al 5,377,374 Green 5,461,849 Allen 5,467,830 Watson 5,706,900 Liao ______________________________________
A need remains for a garden tool which is capable of laying out a garden in accurate rows and columns and which can also be used to dig planting holes for the garden, but which does not compromise on strength or simplicity of construction for the sake of versatility as is the case for many multi-function tools.